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Years after Washington politicians derailed a bistate effort to replace the Interstate Bridge, current state leaders are working to demonstrate that they’re serious about returning to the table.

In the five years since Washington refused to pay its share of Columbia River Crossing costs, growth has exploded on both sides of the river. Portland became one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities, and Vancouver suburbs such as Camas gained thousands of residents. Traffic has only worsened as more commuters and more freight haulers have pushed onto Interstate 5.

A wave of support for revisiting the project in Southwest Washington has been building. Now, the Vancouver City Council, Clark County and three ports have asked the Washington State Department of Transportation to push forward with a new I-5 bridge project.

Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle will lead a city delegation on a visit to Gov. Jay Inslee’s office in November. Last year, Inslee signed into law a bill that calls for starting a planning committee for a future Columbia River bridge.

McEnerny-Ogle said she plans to ask Inslee to open an office dedicated to the project. Taken together, the efforts are a major push for a generational transportation project.

鈥淚 think we’re going to see something,鈥� McEnerny-Ogle said in an interview last week. 鈥淲e’re very excited. I think this is going to start working out.鈥�

In another sign of the interest in Washington, a delegation of state lawmakers recently visited the Interstate Bridge.

Oregon leaders left the Columbia River Crossing debacle frustrated with Washington’s abandonment of the project. Yet elected officials south of the Columbia, including Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Gov. Kate Brown, have made public statements that suggest they’re open to reviving the discussions.

鈥淕ov. Brown is encouraged our partners in Washington are ready to renew constructive conversations on this vital piece of transportation infrastructure,鈥� spokeswoman Nikki Fisher stated in an email. 鈥淭he current bridge is a聽seismic risk, a freight bottleneck and a barrier to effective public transportation.鈥�

Washington leaders said they’re optimistic Brown will re-engage in the project after the Nov. 6 election. She faces a strong challenge from Republican Knute Buehler.

Renewed interest in the bridge comes against a backdrop of strong growth throughout the region. Vancouver’s population grew to 175,673 in 2017, an 8.1 percent increase since 2010, according to the Census Bureau. Portland grew 11 percent during the same period, to 647,805 residents. Some small towns in the area have seen even stronger growth. For example, Camas, Washington, grew 20.5 percent to 23,331 residents in 2017.

Semitruck traffic has worsened as shippers have put more cargo containers on trucks instead of ships and trains.

鈥淭he freight has changed tremendously,鈥� McEnerny-Ogle said.

More projects are popping up in downtown Vancouver, where workers and visitors rely on access to I-5. And the master plan for the sprawling Waterfront Vancouver development, led by Gramor Development, calls for building 3,300 residences within a few blocks of the Interstate Bridge.

Gramor President Barry Cain said a new I-5 bridge is all but inevitable.

鈥淓verybody seems to agree that there will be another bridge,鈥� he said.

Mass transit was a sticking point during planning for the Columbia River Crossing, with Washington residents protesting any potential light-rail links to Portland. It’s not clear whether that opposition has changed.

Federal transportation grants needed for a new I-5 bridge require it to accommodate high-capacity transit in a dedicated guideway. That could mean light rail, or it could result in a dedicated bridge lane for Vancouver’s Bus Rapid Transit system.

McEnerny-Ogle said it’s too soon to talk about light rail.

鈥淭his is such a new project,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e know we need to examine all of the potential mass-transit options available for the new project.鈥�

Many observers worry that light rail would change Vancouver.

鈥淎s nice as light rail is, as soon as Portland got it, they stopped building new roads,鈥� Cain said.

Some of the studies done for the Columbia River Crossing could simply be updated, McEnerny-Ogle said.

Few transportation projects generate contracts as large as a bridge. Cost estimates for the Columbia River Crossing, contained in a 2011 final environmental impact statement, ranged from $3.3 billion to $4.1 billion. Construction costs have surged since, making a new bridge likely even more expensive.

There are discussions of other ways to connect Oregon and Washington, including a bullet train that would run from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Portland. The Washington Department of Transportation released a study in February that found constructing ultra-high-speed rail would cost $24 billion to $42 billion. Trains could run at more than 200 mph.

Washington’s study estimated an ultra-high-speed rail would generate 38,000 construction jobs and $29 billion in labor income annually during a 10-year construction period. The idea faces a number of obstacles, including the addition of an international border to many competing municipalities.

There’s also an effort led by transportation marketing veteran Susan Bladholm to start a ferry from west Vancouver to downtown Portland. The Frog Ferry, as it’s called, would start on the Columbia River and navigate up the Willamette, reaching as far south as Lake Oswego.